The Grocer spoke to Christine Tacon this morning, a.k.a. the newly appointed - and long awaited - Groceries Code Adjudicator.
It’s taken five years for this appointment to be made, and we had a suitably long list of questions prepared. But Tacon was keen to emphasise that this was her first day in the job and that - at this stage - she may not have all the answers.
It didn’t prove to be a problem. Tacon was sharp, knowledgeable, thoughtful, considered and objective -clearly demonstrating the skills that she will need when it comes to presiding over disputes between suppliers and retailers.
As she told The Grocer, in her various roles in FMCG, starting off at Mars in 1985 and ending up as MD of Co-operative Farms, she has seen it all before. Good luck trying to pull the wool over her eyes.
She left The Co-op in January 2012, keen to pursue a wide variety of part time roles, uttering the fateful phrase “You never know, I might even apply for that adjudicator post…”
Tacon will now spend the next few months working on publishing guidance on how she will operate, how people should register complaints and how her office will conduct an investigation. She will also be shaping her team and getting it up to speed before the legislation becomes law and her job officially begins.
No doubt the industry will be eager to see the impact she has once that happens. In the meantime, you can read the full interview this weekend in The Grocer.
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